HIERA ETUSA Q UILA 5 1 7 



scapulars, and wing-coverts narrowly, and those on the head and nape 

 more broadly margined with light brown ; quills deep brown, mottled 

 with white on the basal part of the inner web ; middle tail feathers 

 brownish grey, the rest grey on the inner web, all with six or seven cross 

 bars, and a broad subterminal band of blackish ; under parts white, striped 

 with blackish brown, the abdomen, thighs, and legs washed with warm 

 buff ; legs feathered to the toes ; bill dull bluish at the base, otherwise 

 black ; cere and feet yellow ; iris orange-brown. Culmen 2*1, wing 18'6, 

 tail 1T6, tarsus 3-8 inch. Female similar but larger. The young bird 

 has the upper parts umber brown, and the under parts dull reddish, striped 

 with blackish. 



Hal. Southern Europe ; Africa south to Damaraland, 

 commoner in the west than in the east ; Arabia ; Asia Minor, 

 and Asia east to India. 



Resembles the Goshawk more than the true Eagles, stronger 

 and swifter on the wing, its flight somewhat resembling that of 

 the Goshawk. It is essentially a clean feeder, disdaining 

 carrion, and preying on water-fowl, rabbits, and birds of various 

 kinds as large as the Little Bustard. Its nest is usually 

 placed on the shelf or in a fissure of a cliff, and is constructed 

 of sticks and boughs with a lining of fresh green twigs and 

 leaves, and in February or March two eggs are deposited which 

 are white with a faint blue greenish tinge sparingly marked 

 with rusty red, somewhat smooth in texture of shell and in size 

 averaging 2'65 by 2'02. 



AQUILA, Briss., 1760. 



731. GREATER SPOTTED EAGLE. 



AQUILA MACULATA. 



Aquila maculata (Gmel.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 258 (1788) ; Blanf. F. Brit 

 Ind. Birds, iii. p. 340 ; Saunders, p. 325 ; A. ncevia, Gmel. 1 (Naum.), 

 i. p. 217, Taf. 10, 11 ; Gould, B. of E. i. pi. 8 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. i. 

 pi. 3 ; Hewitson, i. p. 18. pi. 5 ; Newton, i. p. 20 ; Lilford, i. p. 3, 

 pis. 3, 4, 5 ; A. clanga, Pall. Zoogr. K.A. i. p. 351 (1811) ; Naum. 

 xiii. pis. 342, 346 ; Dresser, v. p. 499, pi. 339 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. 

 Mus. i. p. 248 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 22. 



Aigle eriard, French ; Schreiadler, German ; Storre-Skrikorn. 

 Swed. ; Podorlik bolschoi, Russ. ; Kaljanga, Hindu. 



t$ ad. (India). Entire plumage blackish brown, the mantle with a 

 metallic purplish gloss ; quills blackish ; tail unbarred, the middle feathers 

 tinged with grey ; upper and under tail-coverts marked with white ; bill 



M M 2 



